From the Fringe: Hey forecasters, we sure could use some good news right now

We all know spring weather can be rough around these parts. And April has been exactly that. This month has been rough. 

Because it can be so bad, often times, we want to “kill the messenger” so to speak when it comes to meteorologists and forecasters telling us “don’t put your shovels away just yet.” Yeah, how often do we hear that here in Montana during the months of March, April and May?

Of course, deep down, we understand that the folks who tell us what the weather may or may not do, don’t create the weather, they just report it, and they, like the rest of us, have no control over it. 

Having said that, I have just a little bit of advice for our friends at the National Weather Service, and our meteorologists on local television and radio. And that advice is, while you all may like to report that what we’re going through with the weather right now is fairly typical of springtime in Montana, this is not a typical spring in Montana or anywhere else, and I think some sensitivity to that is in order.

No, this April is unlike any we’ve experienced because, for about 99.9 percent of us, we’ve never been in the grips of a global pandemic before. We’ve never been asked by our government leaders to stay away from other people before. Ironically, we’ve never had school closed around here for anything but the weather, but schools sure are closed now. The list of things that are anything but typical about this April is long, and I could go on forever, but I don’t really need too because you all know what’s going on.

That list, by the way, it’s a pretty depressing one, too, and at least for many out there, the snow showers that keep coming, the below averages temperatures for this time of year, the inevitable delay to our grass, trees and gardens springing to life, none of that is helping what we’re going through right now. In fact, I would venture to bet that, for many, this lousy spring weather is only making things worse.

Now again, we all understand that no one can control the weather, and I’m not blaming anybody for this ugly spring thus far. But, when I hear people talk about how tough Montanans are when it comes to weather, and that, we’re used to this stuff, that may apply under normal circumstances. But I personally think it’s moot right now. I think we’re using up a lot of our “Montana Toughness” on COVID-19 right now. Maybe not everybody is down about the weather, but, given what we’re going through right now, and when you factor in that north-central Montana has had at least one major snowstorm, measuring four inches or more, a month from September to now, I would speculate that, a lot of people are pretty fed up with it, even those hardy souls who have lived through every kind of Montana weather mother nature can throw at us. We’re fed up with it because our mind, our stress and our anxiety is on something we’ve never had to deal with before.

In other words, even the toughest of the tough can get down, even the strongest of the strong can get depressed, and it’s proven fact that, long periods of adverse weather can cause depression, anxiety and mental fatigue. And, with the fact that many people are already dealing with those exact issues because of COVID-19 and, especially its effects on our society, on our way of life, this run of bad weather we’re having just feels like we’re being piled on.

And that’s the point, during this time of crisis and uncertainty, we need to not only make sure we’re preventing the spread of COVID-19, we need to make sure we’re watching out for each other from a mental health standpoint. That’s just as important, because many people are hurting, many people are suffering, many people are going through very tough times right now.

And you know what would help, if only a little bit? A little sunshine sure would do the trick. More than 24 hours of warmth would be nice right about now. Getting out and mowing our lawns, or working on our gardens, being able to go for a run without wearing a winter coat, doing that backyard or garage project we’d been waiting for better weather to do, any of those things would help during this time. Heck, just knowing that our short season of spring and summer is here to stay, I think that would help with what we’re dealing with right now. I’m sure of it.

And that brings me back to my advice for our trusted weather people: The next winter storm, snow shower or extended period of cold that comes our way, and unfortunately, we know it will still come, maybe keep in mind that, this isn’t so much fun anymore. Keep in mind that, the world we live in right now, isn’t the one you’re used to forecasting the weather in. It’s a dramatically different world.

Oh don’t misunderstand me, we appreciate what you do. And, especially here in Montana, where weather forecasts are literally a part of our daily routine, we pay close attention to all of you. But, for at least right now, maybe give us the bad weather news with a little bit less enthusiasm, and by all means, don’t be afraid to really hype up any good weather news that comes our way.

Because right now, we need the good news. Whether it’s weather or otherwise, we’ll all take as much good news as we can get.